The duo of human and wolf carefully followed the smoke in the distance.
It was akin to a large beacon that spread the scent of fire as they approached. It made one wonder: how were they still fine? They were directly in the middle of wolf territory. The little wolf wagged its tail happily as they finally saw their destination.
It was a village surrounded by a wooden palisade. It reminded one of those old RTS games during the dark age period.
Looking at the very roughly assembled logs, Jack shook his head. In terms of defensive power…there was no defensive power. Hell, it barely was a few meters high, and a parkour enthusiast could have just flipped himself over it.
“Woo!” (Excited)
“Yep, let’s head over.” Jack agreed.
As soon as they were near the village, a rough-looking guy came out running while screaming loudly:
“We’re under attack! To arms, brothers! The wolves are here! I only see one, but the others must be lurking nearby!”
The man was wearing wolf pelts as clothes, but he was nowhere close to being as feral-looking as the guy from the Fox Grove. No, this one was equipped with a spear and even showed subtle signs of grooming.
This place was pretty rustic, but they were obviously decently organized. The proof was the man who had been left as a sentry. He suddenly jumped in shock as he noticed Jack standing by the side.
“Y-you?! Where did you come from?! Why are you with an evil wolf?!” He shouted warily.
“Woo?” (Confused)
The so-called evil wolf was just tilting its head cutely, weakly protesting. What part of it looked like a bad wolf?! It would become legendary! It wasn’t an ordinary wolf at all! Was the man blind?
That’s when many NPCs came out of the village, crowding over the man. But as they saw the empty plain, they couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“Where are the enemies?!”
“Wait…is that the wolf you shouted about?”
“That’s clearly a human next to it. What’s happening?!”
“Also, is it me, or is there something strange with its proportions?!”
They all gazed in wonder, rubbing their eyes. Some were even using their fingers to compare the height of this wolf versus the ones they knew.
Jack gently waved at them:
“Hey, guys, what’s up with all the wolves in the area?” He innocently asked.
They all looked at how casual he was with a mix of wariness and confusion. Just as they were about to fill the uncomfortable silence, he spoke again.
“I’m just a traveling wolf hunter passing by. What about you guys?” He took out many wolf pelt, throwing them toward the ground as he said that.
As they saw this, they slowly relaxed. His origin was still suspect, but this at least explained what he was doing here. They had 99 problems, but a wolf shortage wasn’t one. But there was still something they didn’t understand:
“What about this one?” They frowned as they pointed at his partner.
“He’s a different species altogether. He just looks like a wolf, but don’t worry about it.”
They finally seemed to accept his explanation as they gestured for him to come forward. That’s when an older villager came forward, acting as a guide.
“This is the last bastion of humanity— at least in this place. Wherever else you go, there are countless wolves. The bastards are as mighty as evil and so damn numerous!” He spat out.
“That just means more pelts to sever from their bodies, doesn’t it?” Jack replied tactfully. He could see a light of approval appear in the man’s eyes. This sure was a valiant answer!
“Woo!” (Exclaiming!)
“Yeah, you’re right. Of course, we can’t forget the meat.”
Seeing how motivated the two seemed to eradicate the wolves, the villagers gave a thumb up.
Then they entered the village. There were small cooking fires all over the place with villagers busy cooking. They curiously glanced at the newcomers, observing their every move.
“Follow me. I’ll bring you to the elders.” Their guide instructed.
The so-called elders turned out to be some old guys sitting on their asses next to a fire. One was eating, one was drinking, and one was smoking. They seemed to be talking about the wolf situation.
As they arrived, they heard snippets of their conversation:
“Their movements have been weird recently.”
“Then there’s that lone wolf alarm from earlier.”
“It scares me to even think about it, but maybe they have a leader now?”
“Do you mean that they are getting organized? The very idea of this is as frightening as preposterous! We need to—”
That’s when they noticed the newcomers’ presence. The NPCs did some synchronized frowning before the guy with the pipe spat out.
“So you guys are the suspicious ones that recklessly triggered the alarm?”
Jack didn’t let himself be outdone:
“So you’re the old man that lazily sat on his ass even as the alarm was triggered?”
The bystanders chuckled hearing such a swift reply. It seemed like this newcomer wasn’t that easy to bully! A village was pretty dull, so they watched with interest the minor confrontation.
“Tch— cocky youngster. Do you believe I won’t beat your ass!”
“Tch— cocky old man, can you even get up from your ass?”
“You bastard! Didn’t anyone ever teach you to respect your elders!”
“Elder? You’re more wrinkly, but I’m actually the elder here!”
Jack calmly replied. Since Infinite had just come out, it was technically accurate as the NPC had recently spawned.
“Do you take me for a fool?! You’re just a young chap!”
At that moment, the smile on Jack’s face enlarged as he suddenly seemed to transform. His eyes showed a depth and wisdom that didn’t fit his youthful appearance.
Then his aura changed from easygoing to one of a conqueror.
As a ゴゴゴゴ Menacing! Appeared above his head, the villagers found themselves choking, some unconsciously kneeling down. Diplomacy? What was that?
Then Jack began a tirade:
“You’ve lived all your life cooped up in this village? I have seen more worlds than you can even fathom exist, both the living and the dead.”
“You’ve spent your whole life honing your skills by killing wolves? I have fought creatures that could plunge you in despair with their mere presence.”
“You have seen life bloom and falter in this village and understood the meaning of life? I have watched civilizations prosper and be reduced to ruins in succession.”
“You diligently pray to the gods? I have met them and received their blessings.”
“You pride yourself in staying alive so long? I pride myself in having died more times than the breaths you’ve taken.”
“We are not the same!”
“This is what it means to be a motherfucking brave. So, tell me. Who’s the elder in this situation!”
Jack exhaled, finally regaining a restrained and peaceful aura. It sure felt good to get this off his chest. He had been acting too low-key recently. The poor NPCs were forcefully used as therapy outlets, bombarded with information they couldn’t understand.
After that whole thing, they all stood still, frozen in complete consternation. Who the fuck was that man?! They had no clue, but this imposing aura couldn’t be faked: he had to be some hero!
That’s when Jack finally remembered his initial purpose. He just needed to convince them to cooperate with him for what would come afterward.
“Now, how about we hunt those big wolves till extinction?” Jack proposed, with his deep voice echoing in the silent village.
Then came the cheers, earth-shattering ones that made entire cohorts of insects run in fear. They were all celebrating, all except for one, the drunkard old man was frowning instead….
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[A/N] Hype! PRIV Mass Release Time! 🔥
Day 1: Skeletal Chicken Tier (3/6) ☠🐔
Creator’s Thought
In Infinite, there are so many NPCs that can be turned into allies. Heck, even taming the wolves would technically be possible, not that anyone would bother. Taming a grown wolf without potential was pretty much a waste of time. Well, except for very special circumstances I guess…